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Thursday, January 18, 2018

Steak or Pasta?

Do you
ever go out to dinner with your spouse or other loved ones and try to decide which restaurant? My husband and I go through this decision-making process
every time.

Occasionally, one of us has a specific desire. “I am
definitely in the mood for meat and potatoes.”

Most
times, the conversation goes like this.

Him:
Where do you want to go?

Me: I
don’t know. Where do you want to go?

Him:
I’ll go wherever you want to go.

Me:
Well, steak or pasta?

Him:
Whatever you want.

Me:
You don’t have a preference?

Him:
No. You decide.

I
could switch the conversation and start with me, and the conversation would be
identical! Whether we choose steak or pasta, is there a wrong decision?

Of
course not.

Too
often, those of us who truly want to please the Lord, end up in a similar
conversation with Him. We ask Him what His will is for a particular situation.
Sometimes, we get a specific answer. Other times, He seems silent. There’s a
fork in the road, we don’t know which way to go, and He says…nothing.

When
those times happen, I assume He’s leaving it up to me. I’ve prayed earnestly,
sought His advice, and the choice remains before me. Whether I choose the left
fork or the right, He’s okay with it, and it doesn’t change His overall plan
for me one iota. There is no wrong decision.

As
writers, we agonize over which story idea we should pursue. Sometimes, we pray
and ask for direction, and God leads us definitely toward one of the ideas. Other
times, we receive no guidance in response to our request.

Let’s accept that
lack of response as God saying, “Whatever you
want.”

Go for
the idea that appeals to you the most. God is behind you! He’ll give you
inspiration. Ideas will overflow. Dialogue will come alive. Is there a wrong
decision?

Of
course not.

Linda Sammaritan writes realistic fiction, mostly for kids
ages ten to fourteen. She is currently working on a middle grade trilogy, World Without Sound, based on her own
experiences growing up with a deaf sister.

Linda had always figured she’d teach middle-graders until
school authorities presented her with a retirement wheelchair at the overripe
age of eighty-five. However, God changed those plans when He gave her a growing
passion for writing fiction. In May of 2016, she blew goodbye kisses to her
students and dedicated her work hours to learning the craft. She still visits
the school and teaches creative writing workshops.

4 comments:

That's exactly where I've been...for months. I finally went with the genre that makes my heart happy and this story is flowing, so much better than what I was trying to write in the meantime. I love knowing I'm not the only one!

Great thoughts which are comforting. Although, I have to admit, sometimes, for me, God doesn't "answer", because we've already had this discussion and he's already given me an answer. Has that ever happened to you?

Certainly He has, Mary Marie Allen! Are you saying you don't like His answer and keep trying to write in a different direction, or you are happy to have His answer? I've been guilty of the first and grateful for the second.